Comments on: The assignment: fix the schoolshttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/
A blog of opinions on local, state and national issuesFri, 09 Dec 2016 15:45:53 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1By: annhttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33456
Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:57:59 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33456#11 There aren’t. Instead of consolidating, or doing anything really to solve the problem, teachers are being laid off and programs cut.
]]>By: Terrihttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33447
Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:54:23 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33447I think most people commenting are in favor of merging school districts, which is fine based on the information given in this op piece. The decision requires much more thought. Merging school districts does not solve all of the economic problems. Transportation costs rise significantly, because, there is more territory to cover to bus the students. Can you imagine the logistics of transporting students in merged districts in sparsely populated areas of NY, such as the Adirondack region?
While top administration may be thinned, middle administration tends to increase.
There are hidden costs. At risk students tend to do significantly better in smaller schools because it is more difficult to get lost. They have fewer students to compete with to engage in sports and other extracurricular activities. The long term societal costs increase as dropout rates increase.
Ichabod Crane and Schodack schools had a merger study that never made it past Board approval. The reasons depend upon who you talk to. The St. Johnsville and Oppenheim-Ephratah schools potential merger made it to the voters with Oppenheim-Ephratah saying no. And then, Oppenheim-Ephratah’s budget was defeated twice. Now, they are thisclose to insolvency. Would a merger have been the answer for them? Maybe, maybe not.
Maybe the first step would be to look into more consolidation of services, like Schodack and New Lebanon have done. They share transportation services. Neighboring districts could band together to increase their purchasing power. I believe Lagrand Serras, owner of Reel Seafood, formed a co-op with other restaurants. Long distance learning. Another possiblity. Maybe legislators need to stop unfunded mandating. Ditto to the State Ed. Dept.
Large districts have faired better with the severe cutbacks of the last 4 years. They are better able to absorb it. After 10 years, my hours have been cut 40%, and my benefits are gone.
While merging at a glance may seem like the answer, I hope our leaders don’t jump the gun and push this until they look at the whole picture. What may be the answer for one area, may cause more problems in another.
]]>By: ReepDagglehttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33441
Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:11:01 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33441Kristin,
Accepted. Thank you. And I said before, that piece aside, you have my full support.
]]>By: Kristinhttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33415
Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:58:39 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33415#17

I apologize– it’s not what I meant, but it’s certainly what I wrote. Many of my friends work for the state. I can’t believe I didn’t proof that before I hit enter.

Again, apologies.

]]>By: M J Buttonhttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33379
Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:35:55 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33379I agree with consolidating school districts.
I have raised three children and have paid whatever my school district asked me to give. I/we PAID our school taxes gladly…then.
Now, as a Senior Citizens,on fixed incomes, we find ourselves REQUIRED to hand over more than 3,550 to our school district. I remember an elderly couple who lost their home/farm and everything they owned because they couldn’t pay the school taxes. WE do not HAVE an extra 3 grand + every year. We are planning to do whatever we need to in order to sell our home, and find an affordable apartment complex. Most likely will just LEAVE New York. And BTW – teachers DESERVE EVERY PENNY THEY GET, and should be getting MORE!!!!!
]]>By: ReepDagglehttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33364
Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:25:59 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33364Kristin,
“By the way– the administrative salaries of any district FAR outweigh the teacher’s salaries. Why not go after them? Or state workers? Why always the teachers?”

You had me completely on your side until you threw in the part about state workers. You and we have in common the scorn of the populace who accuse us all of being overpaid do nothings who keep our jobs just because of our unions. If you want support from others in a similar situation as yourself, stop trying to deflect the criticism toward those others. Us versus them is bad enough. You lose all sympathy when you make it us versus us.

]]>By: TFhttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33334
Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:18:12 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33334If anyone is truly serious about finding out why all these cities are going broke ask to see the city’s coffers, chances are you’ll find lots of money they don’t tell you about, and read the United Nations Agenda 21 to understand where that coffer money is going or being used for.
It’s on the UN’s website – cleverly written – for all the world to see (or google the Agenda21.pdf if you have an e-reader). A really good book on the narrative of Agenda 21 is called Behind The Green Mask by Rosa Koire.
Agenda 21 is a huge global natural resource, public & private property land grab, among other things like depopulation, under the guise of “environmentalism”. There propaganda is a lie.
]]>By: Kristinhttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33306
Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:20:27 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33306#12:

That was an ignorant rant. A high school calculus teacher won’t have enough students to fill a course if the 4th grade math teacher doesn’t A) teach their 4th graders what is now probably way beyond what you learned in 4th grade, and B) isn’t able to make their 4th graders LOVE math. Teaching elementary school is not an easy job, especially with all the new mandates from the state.

Sure… let’s just cut teacher’s pay and pensions. Sounds like a great idea. I’m sure we’ll get highly qualified people (remember, like us or not we are one of the most highly educated professions in NYS)to take on the huge responsibility of educating children for $40,000 and no pension.

By the way– the administrative salaries of any district FAR outweigh the teacher’s salaries. Why not go after them? Or state workers? Why always the teachers?

]]>By: had enough?http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33261
Sat, 10 Nov 2012 23:13:08 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33261Do you really want to know what the problem is?
“Teaching is the bottom of barrel in terms of educational achievement among all the profession”
Anyone who would have this much contempt for a large segment of society trying to educate and foster not only skills, but values, is obviously morally bankrupt. That is much worse than being poor Diogenes ll.
]]>By: H. Robinsonhttp://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/the-assignment-fix-the-schools/22855/#comment-33249
Sat, 10 Nov 2012 14:10:50 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/?p=22855#comment-33249School consolidation is an Albany subterfuge to camouflage Albany’s responsibility and role in the NYS mandate mess. The real problem is the NYS Legislature’s continuing refusal to control its unfunded mandated overspending. NYS legislators claim they have reduced state spending or applied the tax cap to state spending. This is a misrepresentation, because “state spending” included hidden and uncontrolled unfunded mandate overspending inserted into county town and school budgets, so that it’s not counted in the state budgets. The Legislature controls spending listed in the state budget and brags about being fiscally responsible – that’s the alcoholic who reduces his public drinking. But the Legislature doesn’t control unfunded mandate spending in local budgets – that’s the alcoholic who keeps drinking in private. The tax cap is good, because it helps property taxpayers. But the Legislature’s scam and sham is that the tax cap limits spending by county town school but does not limit the state mandated spending lines in those local budgets. Albany won’t take the medicine it forces down the throat of local government. Voters don’t understand this. Every county town school elected official in NYS should be telling their voters – Albany legislators are causing this mess. Every year Albany takes a bigger piece of the local property tax pie and expects everyone else to suffer as they do. Solutions? Voters must unite with county school town elected officials to expose the NYS Legislature’s scam and sham of unfunded mandates. Sign BEST4NY’s online mandate relief petition.
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